U.K. ethics body nod for genetically edited babies

Jul 18, 2018, 8:36 AM EDT

(Source: Parker Knight/flickr)

A group of prominent scientists in the U.K. opines that altering the DNA in human embryos isn’t “morally unacceptable” if the procedure is used in the future child’s bests interests and doesn’t contribute in reinforcing and advancing the existing social inequalities.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics said that the approach would primarily be used to prevent inheritance of genetic disorders while admitting the possibility of abuse such as parents resorting to cosmetic genetic engineering of embryos to have “designer babies,” reports The Telegraph.

The council’s apparent affinity to the idea of genetic modification in human embryos sparked backlash with critics warning that greenlighting such a practice would create a world of “genetic haves and have-nots,” notes The Guardian.